Magnetic towel rack and towel system and method for its use

ABSTRACT

The lifetime of a towel can be determined by how many times it is washed and dried; that is, the less frequent washing and drying, the longer the life of a towel. Consequently, most towels are used multiple times prior to washing and drying. This is true for a dish towel, tea towel, bath towel, and hand towel, amongst others. Additionally, if not hung carefully, a wet towel may fall onto the floor and require immediate washing. The current invention is towel and towel holder system and method for its use which addresses the aforementioned issues.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND

The lifetime of a towel can be determined by how many times it is washed and dried; that is, the less frequent washing and drying, the longer the life of a towel. Consequently, most towels are used multiple times prior to washing and drying This is true for a dish towel, tea towel, bath towel, and hand towel, amongst others. Additionally, if not hung carefully, a wet towel may fall onto the floor and require immediate washing.

In order to use towels multiple times, they must be hung after every use. Wet towels, if hung improperly after use to dry, will stay wet and eventually become moldy and smell. Even if hung properly, a wet towel will not dry if the area does not have proper ventilation Some have tried to solve this problem by installing towel warmers or driers. However, the wet towel must be hung properly for the towel warmer or drier to work.

These problems become exacerbated when dealing with children and large bath towels. Large bath towels may be too large for smaller children to handle and consequently, they end up on the floor. Older children just may not have the patience to place the towel correctly on the towel rack.

Prior art has addressed the issue of hanging smaller towels in locations such as gym equipment by placing a removable magnet in the towel. See Change et. al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,885,195), December 1989; www.goforitproducts com. This invention is limited in its application. The towel can be attached to something metal or, in the alternative, can be wrapped around itself using the magnet inserted in the towel. In the first scenario above, unless the magnet has a high magnetic force the towel will slip off the metal when it is wet and heavy. In the latter scenario above, the towel will not dry properly, if wrapped around itself.

The current invention is a towel and towel holder system and method for its use which addresses the aforementioned issues.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The lifetime of a towel can be determined by how many times it is washed and dried; that is, the less frequent washing and drying, the longer the life of a towel. Consequently, most towels are used multiple times prior to washing and drying. This is true for a dish towel, tea towel, bath towel, and hand towel, amongst others.

Additionally, if not hung carefully, a wet towel may fall onto the floor and require immediate washing. The current invention is towel and towel holder system and method for its use which addresses the aforementioned issues.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a elevational view of the towel rack and towel system in a preferred embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the towel rack in a preferred embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a top elevational view of the towel rack in a preferred embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a top elevational view of the towel rack in a preferred embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

The current invention is a towel rack and towel system (“system”) (10) that allows the user to hang a wet towel so that it will dry. The system (10) comprises a towel rack (“rack”) (20) and a towel (30).

In one preferred embodiment, the rack (20) is composed of a magnetic material. If the material is metal, the rack is further composed of a coating which prevents said metal from rusting in damp environments. The towel (30) has at least one region in which a grommet (40) is hemmed into. The grommet is made of a material that is ferromagnetic.

In the preferred embodiment, the magnetic force between the magnetic material of the rack (20) and the grommet (40) must be large enough to support the weight of a large, wet towel (30). However, in the event that the magnetic support is not sufficient to hold a towel (30), the rack (20) also comprises a lip (50) that prevents a towel (30) from slipping off the rack (20).

In another preferred embodiment, the rack (20) can be composed of any material. The rack (20) would also comprise integrated magnets. In one scenario, at least one magnet (60) is imbedded within the rack (20). In another scenario, the rack (20) has at least one magnet (60) in the form of a strip on any portion of the rack (20). In this embodiment, the rack (20) is hung so that the side with the at least one magnet (60) faces the upward direction.

The rack (20) can be any shape or size. However, in a preferred embodiment the rack (20) is the size of a standard bathroom towel rack. The rack (20) can be attached to drywall or other standard building material using standard attachment methods such as screws or nails. The rack (20) can also be attached using a permanent adhesive system, a removable adhesive system; or a hook and loop system such as VELCRO™. The rack (20) can also be attached to any metal that adheres to its magnetic force.

To use the system (10) the user would attach the rack to a wall or other location. The user then attaches the towel to the rack by its grommet. 

1. A towel rack and towel system comprising a towel rack and at least one towel.
 2. The towel rack of claim 1 is composed of a magnetic material.
 3. The rack of claim 2 is further composed of rust of a coating which prevents rusting.
 4. The rack of claim 2 defines at least one boundary which juts away from the surface of the rack.
 5. The towel rack of claim 1 is composed of a non-magnetic material.
 6. The towel rack of claim 5 comprises at least one magnetized grommet.
 7. The towel rack of claim 5 comprises at least one magnetized strip.
 8. The towel of claim 1 has at least one grommet permanently attached.
 9. The towel of claim 1 has at least one grommet removably attached.
 10. The grommet of claim 8 is made of a material that is ferromagnetic.
 11. The grommet of claim 9 is made of a material that is ferromagnetic.
 12. A method to use the towel rack and towel system of claim 1 comprising: (a) permanently or removably attaching the towel rack to a supporting structure; (b) using the at least one grommet in at least one towel to attach towel to towel rack. 